“I see where you’re going with this,” Lucca said. “If it’s leaked that Stefano will be in the audience and the three of us will be there, along with Valentino, Emme’s husband, you believe they’ll wait to make their strike.”
Geno nodded. “Why go after just Amaranthe when they can get several of us in one big swoop? It would be natural for my cousins to come in to see my fiancée’s performance. We make a big deal of it.”
He felt Amaranthe’s body relax into his and knew he’d played it smart. The more he laid the plan out, the more it felt right. “We can set the theater up in advance. We’ll have tracking on the known survivors of the Boutler family and any of their associates.”
“It’s still a risk,” Lucca pointed out.
“There’s always a risk,” Geno agreed, “every time one of us walks out the door. We’re riders, Lucca. We’re sworn to protect others. We’re not going to hide from these bastards. They’re coming after us and everyone we care about.”
“They declared war,” Valentino said. “Just the way my dear uncle Miceli did when he got so greedy; he wanted to sell human beings to make more money. He killed his own brother and then went after another brother just for power.”
“We’re going to have to send a report to the International Council and also the Archambaults,” Amaranthe said. “Although I don’t believe any of these people are official riders. It’s possible they will ask us to delay, but they’ll know it’s impossible to do so. Jean-Claude will give the go-ahead, as will the rest of the council. Jean-Claude is leader of the Archambault riders, so I very much doubt that he’ll tell us to delay until the French riders can get here.”
“They can get here overnight,” Stefano pointed out. “Do we delay sending in our report?”
“We need to protect Brielle,” Dario said, pointing to thepapers, snapping his fingers, all business, indicating he wanted every copy. “I’m burning these. That’s why I didn’t bring a digital copy.” There was an edge to Dario’s voice. Even a mild threat if one wanted to read it that way. That was interesting to Geno. That meant Brielle had joined Dario’s inner circle whether Dario was aware of it or not.
Geno could have told him he had that report imprinted on his brain nearly verbatim. He didn’t need the written one, and he was sure Amaranthe didn’t, either. He handed the papers over immediately.
“The Archambaults and the council are going to want to know where we acquired all the information,” Stefano said.
“That’s not my problem,” Dario stated. “We asked her to do this for us and get as much data going as far back as she could and to be thorough. When you demand that of Brielle, you can’t ask her where she gets her information.”
Valentino looked every bit as protective. “Brielle is very driven as a researcher. She’s instinctive on a keyboard. I don’t think she knows where she’s going half the time, she just follows the trail no matter how faint it is. Nothing gets in her way.”
Geno felt very fortunate that he had practiced for years keeping his face a stone mask, otherwise he’d be smiling. Neither man was going to come out and state Brielle Archambault could hack her way through anything, but everyone in that room knew the implication was there.
Elie covered the lower half of his face with his palm, but his eyes were bright with pride. “My woman is hell on wheels with a keyboard.”
Stefano made a growling sound and glared at Dario and Valentino. “If you two weren’t family, I’d stick you back on the top of the hit list for stealing that woman out from under me. I needed her as an investigator for the family.”
Dario’s eyebrow shot up. “Technically, since we are family and she works for us, she is working for the family.” He sounded like he was speaking to a child, enunciating every word deliberately as if Stefano might not get the concept.
Stefano gave him the finger.
Geno couldn’t help the slow grin that he exchanged with his brothers and Amaranthe.
Dario didn’t look in the least bit intimidated or offended at the rude gesture. “We can’t help it if your work was just too boring for her, Stefano. You Ferraros sit around eating pasta all the time, and that makes you sleepy. Your women spoil you and that slows you down.”
Dario was back to looking down at the screen on his phone as he made the observations. He texted one-handed, lightning fast, giving Brielle instructions.
“Are you including Val and Elie in your candid opinion?” Stefano asked.
“Like you, they’re totally pussy-whipped. I tell them all the time. Emme knows I tell Val he needs to beat her once in a while just to get the upper hand.”
“How does that go over?” Stefano asked.
“Emme just laughs because she knows he would never do it even if he threatened her.” Dario poured disgust in his voice.
“Emmanuelle just laughs,” Emme corrected, “because she knows if Val ever hit me, Dario would cut off his balls and that’s the truth.”
“Is that the truth, Dario?” Geno asked.
Dario shrugged his very muscular shoulders, not looking up from his phone. “Well. Yeah. No one lays a hand on Emme. Not like that.” He sounded bored.
Geno exchanged a look with Amaranthe.
I see why you like him, Geno. It’s very hard not to. He’s very different on the inside than he is on the outside.
